Cloth printing machine



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1. A. M NICOL. GLOTH PRINTING MAGHINE.

No. 439,67 6. Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. A. MGNICOL. OLOTH PRINTING MAGHINE.

Patented Nov. 4, 1890.

g emm \0 i UNITED ST ATES PATENT OFFICE. i

ARCHIE'MCNICOL, OF NORWICH, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JACOBS. BERNHEIMER, OF NEW YORK, N Y.

CLOTH-PRINTING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 439,&376, datedNovember 4, 1890.

Application filed June 14, 1889. Serial No. 314.255. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARCHIE MCNICOL, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing at Norwich, in the county of 'New London and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-,Printing Machines, which improvements are fully set forth and describedin the following specification, reference being had to the acconpanyingsheets of drawings, in which- `Figure 1 is an end elevation of aprintingmachine embodying my said invention, showing the manner ofdriving the several printing-rollers. Fig. 2 is a crosssection of asimi- 'lar machine, and Fig. 3 is an enlarged crosssectional View of oneof the printing-rollers and its impression-cylinder, and also shows themechanism for supplying and distributing the color to and on saidprinting-roller.

Fig. 4: is a Vertical sectional view similar to Fig. 2, but on a reducedscale, showing the arrangement of the rollers with each series Operatingon a separate web of cloth.

My invention is in that class of machincry used' for printing onfabrics, and has for its immediate object the production of a machine bymeans of which a multiple of colors may' be applied to one or both facesof a web or fabric. Said machine also embodies certain details ofConstruction, hereinafter fully described, by which some of theobjections now existing in fabric printing machinery are overcome.

In Operating multi-color machines, in which an impression-cylindercommon to the whole series of printing-rollers have been used, thepressure of the printing-rollers against said impression-cylindervaries, and as a consequence some of said rollers on account of greatpressure "spring" in their length and thus throw their circumference outof alignment with that of the impression-cylinder. This necessitates theblanketing or building up of the middle portion of saidimpression-cylinder; but in blanketing for one or two of the series ofrollers the others of the series are correspondingly thrown out ofparallel contact with the cylinder, and it becomes fre quently a longand therefore expensive task to adjust the several rollers to each otherand to their common impression-cylinder.

`With mechanism of my new Construction both sides of the fabric may beprinted at a single passage of the web through the machine, and as eachprinting-roller is supplied `notes one of the pair of frames in andbetween which the operative portions of my machine are supported. Saidframes are formed With two sets orseries of projecting wings b, one seton each side of the Vertical center of the machine' and all arranged forconvenience in an arc of a circle whose center is at or near the centerof the frames a. Each of the wings b is formed with a rectangularopening b', having seated therein and adapted to be moved toward or fromthe common center of the series of wings a journal-bearing c. Thesejournal-bearings are provided to receive and support the journals of theprinting-rollcrs A, which rollers are of the ordinary construction. Tofacilitate the entrance and removal of the printing-roller the upperside of each of the wings b is cut through, as at b Adjacent to and inthe rear of each prnting-roller is an impression-cylinder B, that may bejournaled immediately in frames a or in a hearing (Z, that is arrangedto slide in the opening b', in which case said opening is considerablyelongated,as atb Fig.1. When so journaled, an adj listing-screw e isprovided, said screw being tappcd into a lug e', forming a part of framea. Similar adjustingscrews c' are tapped intothe outer ends of wings band abut the movable bearings o.

By means of the described screws indedendent adjustment of theprinting-rollers relative to the inpression-cylinders may be rc'adilyattained, and when movable bearings for the impression-cylinders areprovided, as above explained, each pair of rollers may also be movedoutward from or inward toward the center of the machine.

In Fig. 3 I have shown an impression-.cylinder B, a printing-roller A,and a color-distributin g apparatus of ordinary construction.

E indicates the color-box, and G a roll, the

lower portion of whose circumference revolves IOO in the coloringmaterial, and the upper portion engages the printing-roller A andsupplies the color to said roller. I makeno claim to saidcolordistributing mechanisni, and have thought it unnecessary toillustrate it in Figs. 1 and 2, as it is old and well known in thisclass of machinery. The drivin g mechanism, by means of which theseveral rollers are driven simultaneously and in the desired directions,consists of trains of gearing, which I will proceed to describe, askingparticular reference to Fig. 1 of the drawings.

Near the top of the machine is a gear g, whose shaft also carries apulley 7,that is indicated bya dotted circle in said Fig. 1. This pulleyand gear g are driven bya belt h', connectin g with the line-shaft or asuitable connter-shaft. Below gear g and at one side of the verticalcenter of the machine is a large spur-gear 'L', that meshes with saidgear g and connects in turn a gear H, which latter meshes with smallergears 70 k', secured to the projecting journals of the two lowestprintingrollers of the left-hand series as viewed in Fig. l. Thejournals of the companion printing-rollers in the same series carrysimilar gears 76 and 7c and motion in the same direction is conmunicated to and through said lefthand series by inserting an idle-gear mbetween gears k' and k and a sinilaridle-gear between gears 70 and 70 Itwill now be understood that motion and power applied to the first gear gwill be communicated from gear to gear through the described train,causing the four printing-rollers to rotate in unison and in thedirection shown by the arrows. The prnting-rollers of the right-handseries are actuated in a similar manner, but are caused to rotate in theopposite direction; or, in other words, the motion of the rollers ofeach series at their contact-points is in a direction away from a pointcommon to both series, which in this case is the bottom of the press.

Meshing with the gear H is a similar gear 'i', that in turn meshes withgears 7& on the shafts of the two lowest printing-rollers of theright-hand series. The other printing-rollers of this series carrysimilar gears Ic 76 An idle-gear n is placed intermediate with gears 70k and also an idle-gear n' between gears 76 and 70 The described systemsof gears serve to rotate the priuting-rollers of both series, and alsocause the rollers of one series to rotate in a direction opposite tothat taken by those of the companion series.

Assuming that we have an eight-roller machine of the constructiondescribed and wish to print a web of cloth on both sides, with a patternrequiring four colors, the usual gray cloth o and blanket p are enteredbetween the lowest printing-roller of one series and itsimpression-cylinder, and are carried upward in like manner between theother rollers and cylinders of the same series, as shown at the righthand in Fig. 2. Said gray cloth and blanket are then carried inward(toward the center of the machine) around an idle-roll 10, thencedownward around idle-roll ll, suitably located, and finally back totheir starting-point, said gray cloth and blanket being forned asendless aprons or of strips of fabric of considerable length. Similarstrips of gray cloth and blanket are passed between the left-hand seriesof rollers and cylinders; but instead of entering from below, saidlatter strips are brought from a point overhead aroundan idle-roll 12,thence between the lowest pair of rollers in said left-hand series andon between the other rollers and oylinders of said series. On leavingthe last cylinder said gray cloth and blanket are led upward aroundidle-rolls 13 14, and thence to their starting-point. The web *u offabric is entered between the gray cloth 0 and the first (lower) rollerc of the right-hand series, following the course of said gray clothuntil the idle-roll lO is reached, when said web (which is now printedon one side) leaves the gray cloth and passes between the lowestprintngroller and cylinderof the left-hand series, and continues throughthe entire left-hand series, following the course of the gray cloth andblanket until the idle-roll 13 is reached, when said web passes upwardthrough the floor to receive the usual finishing, &0. When the fabricpasses from the idle-roll lO to the lefthand series, it presents to theprinting-rollers of that series its imprinted side, and it will bereadily seen, by following the eourse of said web, that a single passagethrough the machine brings one face or side into printing contact withfour of the printing-rollers and the opposite face into similar contactwith the other four printing-rollers, so that said web leaves themachine printed on both faces. The same design or pattern may be printedon both faces, or said pattern may differ in color or design, asdesired.

The same machine maybe readily arranged for printing with eight colorson one face only of the fabric by providing single strips of gray clothand blanket that shall pass entirely through the two series of rollersand cylinders instead of using two separate pieces of gray cloth andblanket, as above described.

The double form of machine has many advantages over those now in use,among which nay be cited the fact that by using two half parts or seriesseparately it takes the place of two four-color machines. One half maybe enployed to print wide goods while the other half is run on narrowgoods. When used in this way, one of the pieces of cloth 1 may enter thepress in the same manner as described for the single piece of cloth; butinstead ot' its following the web over the idle-roll 10 it is passed outof the top of the press, as shown in Fig. 4, and the other piece ofcloth 2 may be passed into the press over the idle-roll 121111- der thegray cloth and blanket 0' and 19', and from there it is passed downthrough the second series of printing-rolls and then up and IIO out inthe same manner as described for the single piece of cloth.

Having' described my invention, I claim- 1. In combination with frames aand supported therein, right and left hand series of printing-rollersand corresponding series of impression-cylinders, as set forth, saidseries being independent of each other, whereby each set may beOperating upon a separate piece at the same time, and mechanismconsisting of trains of gearing, substantially as described, forrotating said printing-rollers, for the purpose specified.

2. In combination With and in frames a, right and left hand series ofprinting-rollers and corresponding series of impression-cyl inders, asset forth, and mechanisn consisting of trains of gearng, substantiallyas described, for rotating said printing-rollers, so that the motion ofthe rollers of each series at their contact-points is in a directionaway 3. In combination in and with frames a two independent series ofprinting-rollers and corrcsponding series of impression-cylinders, asset forth, and mechanisn for rotatng said printing-rollers, consistingof trains of gear ing, substantially as described, and a driving trainof gearing common t-o both of said series of gearing, as and for thepurpose specified.

4:. In combination with the end frames a, two independent series ofprinting-rollers, the notion of the rollers of each series at theircontact-points being in a direction away from a point common to bothseries, and means, substantially as described, for reversing the pieceof cloth as it passes from one series to the other, substantially asdescribed. 40

ARCHIE MCNICOL.

Witnesses:

FRANK H. ALLEN, ALONZO M. LUTHER.

